Piety and Persecution in the French Texts of England offers translations of a representative sample of the varied genres of theological and devotional writing that flourished in the French of England in the thirteenth and fourteen centuries. The selection of texts is meant to provide an entrée to this tradition, and includes examples in verse and prose loosely centered on the life of Christ. They range from Grossetest's theologically sophisticated Castle of Love to the popular tale of Little St. Hugh of Lincoln; in between are prayers and meditations on the Passion, the folkloric Childhood of Jesus Christ and the Vengeance of Jesus Christ. These texts shed light on the beliefs and prejudices of medieval English Christians, in which piety and and an un-Christian hostility towards Jews were often closely entwined. The collection of translations offered in the volume illustrates strikingly different responses to the Christ's passion and redemption in the multi-lingual environment of post-conquest England.

For each text, the Introduction provides a study and an exploration of the sources, manuscripts and related works in Middle English. The Appendix includes passages in the original language as well as editions of previously unpublished texts, which may be used in classroom teaching.